Lenses

Until recently, most photographers considered a 19mm or 20mm focal length as the ultimate in ultra-wide, but this is rapidly changing. Thanks to the new technologies for making more affordable aspherical elements, much shorter lenses are becoming readily...

Although many of Sigma's new lenses incorporate the latest technology and/or premium grade optics, this manufacturer continues to compete aggressively in the market for affordable zoom lenses. In addition to its APO, Aspherical, and HSM series, Sigma...

Ask any group of professional sports or wildlife photographers to name their favorite lens, and most will mention a "fast" 500mm f/4 model with internal focusing and low dispersion glass elements. Ideal in many respects, such lenses offer several advantages.

The Sigma APO 150-50mm lens is a moderately fast, super-telephoto zoom designed to work with both APS-C and full-frame DSLR cameras. It offers quite useful close focusing (7.2 ft) and two modes of what they deem "optical stabilization" (OS.) Weighing in at 67.4 oz you always know its there, but then again this is one impressive piece of...

The Sigma engineers never seem to take a break, coming up with new lenses with surprising frequency. Late last year, they released two short zooms that certainly attracted a lot of attention. Their AF 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG Aspherical boasts the...

Long, fast, good lenses are expensive. They're also worth it. Whether you shoot sports, live performances, wildlife, people, or just need to reach out into the distance for that perfect shot, a really good telephoto lens is a must.

Until recently, only Canon and Nikon offered interchangeable lenses with a camera shake compensating system called Image Stabilizer (IS) and Vibration Reduction (VR), respectively (see the discussion on IS and VR lens technology in our August 2004 issue, or on our website at: www.shutterbug.com).

Although Sigma released their first lens with a built-in Optical Stabilizer (OS) system in the spring of 2004, the company employed this technology in only one pro-grade lens, the 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6. That has changed with the introduction of a more compact/affordable (digital-only) 18-200mm OS zoom. Sigma will not comment about future plans, but a reliable source indicates that...

Note the "EX DG" appellation in this new Sigma lens. This signifies a lens that you can use for both film and digital photography, as opposed to Sigma's "EX DC" branding, which can only be used with digital SLRs. The difference is in the image circle each projects. Use a "DC" lens on a film camera and you'll have serious...

Because most consumers demand very compact, lightweight equipment, the majority of lenses are designed with a relatively small aperture: f/4 to f/5.6, for example. That makes sense because the same focal length with a wide aperture would be larger, heavier, and more expensive due to the oversized optical elements and barrel. Even so, many photo enthusiasts really appreciate an...

I 've been shooting most of my portrait work with a 28-75mm zoom, but always felt I could use something longer. And I'm about at the point where fixed focal length lenses just won't do; once you get used to the flexibility of a zoom, you're spoiled. I also like a fast lens with a relatively wide maximum aperture, as I like to get way out-of-focus...